


Inaho doesn't think too much about it

by nozurei



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Plotless, literally nothing happens I'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-28 11:53:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5089760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nozurei/pseuds/nozurei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>-but he does</p>
<p>Naho fawning over Slaine and nothing else</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inaho doesn't think too much about it

**Author's Note:**

> AZ desert so dry

Inaho doesn't think too much about it.

He revelled in Slaine's presence, which was a strange realization considering how often the blonde got on his nerves. To genuinely enjoy someone's company was something Inaho thought he understood, his friends, his sister, he appreciated their presence in his life. But being with Slaine made startlingly clear the difference between merely appreciating, and enjoying someone's company. Every move Slaine made entertained him in some way, challenging, unyielding, even when the man felt like being spoiled, it was always accompanied with biting snark. 

They understood each other on a level deeper than one would expect from two strongly contrasting entities, yet still managed to surprise one another on an almost daily basis. Slaine was like an infinitely complex problem, unravel one layer, and another plethora will appear before your eyes. Inaho thought, he wouldn't mind spending his whole life trying to figure him out. He wouldn't be the first to dedicate himself to a seemingly hopeless task.

It wasn't love, at least not the kind he knew of from the numerous conversations about the topic between his friends and with his sister. His heart didn't thump uncomfortably, no cold sweats, no flustered faces, no shying away. He had no delusions nor desire to date Slaine either, and from the brusque way the other acted around him, this feeling was, with little doubt, reciprocated. 

Lust was always an open possibility, for more than once did they give in to the moment and claw at each other's bodies, scratching and biting, never a sweet romantic affair by any stretch, and the both of them really wouldn't have it any other way. The events leading up to them though, had him doubting.

Yes, he enjoyed the sight of long slim legs all tangled up with sheets in the mornings, brilliant white of the bedding muted against the creamy glow of Slaine's bare skin. Yes, more often than not he found himself entranced in the early afternoons with the beads of sweat rolling down Slaine's face, tracing a delicate line along his jaw and that elegant neck, clothes damp and clinging to his form as he worked his garden with an indulgent look reserved exclusively for his plants. Yes, Inaho would admit that there were few things more captivating than the gentle curve of Slaine's rosy lips, pursing in pleasure as he slowly savours a warm meal, teal eyes bright and sparkling as they regard him with a glint of unspoken appreciation and respect. All these things however, never drove Inaho to make Slaine his. The feeling was akin to appreciating the beauty of fine art work, quietly in awe, never reaching out lest his mortal hands sully the otherworldly masterpiece.

The moments that drove him to hold Slaine were when the other was at his lowest, large cracks in his facade showing purply, pulsing flaws underneath. Nothing made him lose all his reason faster than an irate Slaine, flushing red with white knuckled balled fist, eyes sharp and wild, looking ready to tear out his throat by the teeth, or a Slaine struck by despair and disbelief, eyes wide and shimmering with tears, his habit of reaching and grasping on his chest as he struggled to calm his irregular breaths never ceasing to be the most endearing scene Inaho has ever seen. 

Perhaps his interests were a little deviant, or that those moments were the only times Slaine appeared mortal and within his reach, but then again maybe it's only because he wanted to respond in kind. For Slaine to show him his most raw emotions, it was only right for Inaho to reciprocate with the same intensity, and for one reason or another, his instincts took him in that direction.

Love and lust were both questionable, but he was, without a doubt, fascinated with the Nordic man. Of course it was hard not to be enraptured by his beauty when the light always unfailingly caught on his visage the right way, and no matter what angle, he would always look divine. But that was not the root of it, what captured Inaho the most was his intellect and his mind. 

'It says a lot when Nao-kun goes out of his way to initiate casual conversations and ask for your opinion!' was a line his sister repeated often during the week she stayed with them. Slaine used to looked infinitely exasperated at his attempts, scowling and adamantly keeping silent. Nowadays he's more receptive, rolling his eyes and pulling a face, but Inaho could tell that the other man enjoyed their mini debates too. 

Denied intellectual equals all their lives only to finally find it in an enemy, there was an undeniable thrill still when they both battled with their reasons and ideas, away from any battlefield and imminent death. More than anything (over even the nights when he had Slaine writhing and gasping beneath his body), mundane afternoons chatting with Slaine were the moments he loved most.

Somewhat like friends, sometimes like lovers, yet never fully one or the other. They're both content to leave this relationship between them unlabelled, but Yuki prodded often enough for Inaho's mind to wander. 

Perhaps this was just, like many other things involving the enigmatic Slaine Troyard, another problem he'll never quite manage to solve.

**Author's Note:**

> Blame Misu for this nonsense


End file.
